


A favour

by poesjacket



Category: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies)
Genre: Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Period-Typical Homophobia
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-05
Updated: 2017-01-09
Packaged: 2018-09-15 03:16:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,443
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9216230
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/poesjacket/pseuds/poesjacket
Summary: Newt receives a special request from Madam President herself to grant a favour to Percival Graves, helping him on a case in an unexpected way.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Honestly I thought my fanfiction days were over but this idea came to me and yeah this is it.
> 
> I hate the title but I couldn't think of anything else, sorry!
> 
> First proper chapter tomorrow if anyone wants it?

Newt Scamander hadn't expected to have plans tonight, especially as he usually spent his time with his creatures, or the occasional visit to Tina and Queenie's apartment. He wasn't exactly a social man, and had shocked himself when he agreed to President Piquery's request.

Just a week earlier, he had been summoned to her office, and the usually stern woman had a glint in her eye as he took a seat in front of her. 

"Mr. Scamander, my guess is that you have no idea why you're here?" She began, conjuring up a teapot with a subtle flick of her wand. Newt shook his head no and allowed her to continue. 

"We have received intelligence regarding a crime ring in Manhattan. It is well hidden, but Mr. Graves has managed to infiltrate some of the lower ranks. They're smuggling illegal creatures into the country for a substantial profit."

At this Newt gasped, intrigued. "And you'd like for me to help?" He was possibly giddy, sipping at his tea to hide an overly eager smile.

"In a way, yes." Piquery seemed more cautious know that she had his full attention, a fact that Newt found curious. "Mr. Graves has asked for your assistance personally. He is going undercover again this Friday night to attend a social event with the suspects, and requires company to avoid arousing suspicion." 

Newt cocked his head to one side. "Surely one of your female aurors would be better suited to such a role?" He inquired timidly, "I believe Tina- sorry, Ms. Goldstein would be free on Friday." 

Piquery shifted in her chair uncomfortably. "Well, Mr. Scamander, that's the issue at hand. Mr. Graves' cover requires that he masquerade as a homosexual in order to be accepted into the organisation. The leader of the ring is one himself and is very private about it, though his parties are often said to be quite-" she searched for the right word, "festive and... flamboyant." 

Newt snorted at her discomfort. "I do apologise Madam President, but watching you attempt to come up with synonyms for the word gay is quite amusing!" Under her authoritative stare he silenced himself, retreating into his usual nervous posture. "What exactly would this entail? I don't want to go rushing into things." 

"You would be expected to play the part of Mr. Graves' young lover. You'll need to dress well, and we will be able to provide you with compensation to purchase suitable clothing for such an occasion. You will also dance with him. Nothing that would make you uncomfortable, I have been assured."

Newt nodded, barely paying attention as he blurted out his thoughts, "Why on earth would Mr. Graves choose me for such a task?" Piquery merely offered him a knowing smile and suggested that he ask Mr. Graves himself on the night of the party.

~

All of this led to him anxiously adjusting his bowtie, uncomfortable in a rather slim fitting suit in an admittedly quite flattering shade of blue. He would have to remember to properly thank Queenie for helping him shop at a later date. He took Picket out from under his shirt sleeve, giving the little creature a smile. The bowtruckle squeezed his thumb affectionately, as if aware of how nervous he was.

Unfortunately the nerves weren't just due to going undercover, but something far more worrisome. He was beginning to think he might have feelings for Mr. Graves. Although he was aware his thoughts weren't exactly legal, he was no stranger to breaking laws. Besides, Mr. Graves was quite a man, accomplished, brave and roguishly handsome, all things Newt wasn't. He pushed these to one side in his mind to concentrate on disapparating. (Just yesterday he had had an unfortunate, yet harmless splinching incident in which he lost an eyebrow; thinking about the sight of Mr Graves' muscular arms flexing under rolled up shirt sleeves, which made Newt's blood rush downwards when certain sinful thoughts entered his brain.) "Now, Picket, we're going to behave ourselves tonight." He said this more to himself than anything else, before disappearing from the room with a quiet 'Pop'.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Newt arrives at Mr. Graves' home before the party.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who's back!?  
> All your comments and kudos on the opening of this fic were bloody lovely!  
> A bunch of you wanted more of the story and I can't wait to tell it!
> 
> It's another short chapter bc I like the format of having each chapter be a new location.

Newt always liked to be on time, but he was so nervous that he had arrived at Mr. Graves' door ten minutes earlier than they had originally planned. He quickly made the decision to simply wait until the turn of the hour on his doorstep, bouncing on his toes to keep his feet warm; however not a minute had gone by when a tiny house elf opened the door and grinned up at him with her huge eyes watering.

"Mister Newt Scamander!" She squeaked. "Master Graves was not expecting you until 8 o'clock, but Master told Tilly to come and fetch you now because Master knew that you were outside." Tilly moved aside hastily to allow him into an expansive hallway with a grand staircase. In getting to know Mr. Graves a little after his rescue, it had become surprisingly easy for Newt to forget that he came from old money. He seemed to be a man of simple taste, favouring quiet time reading through case files, classic New York hot dogs, and a single glass of whiskey after a long day. Newt sat on a small sofa by the door and refused Tilly's offer of tea, finding himself quite pleased when she told him that Mr. Graves had asked her to get some as he knew it was Newt's favourite drink to calm his nerves. 

"Master Graves will be down in a moment. Master was fixing his tie when he discovered that you had arrived, Mister Scamander, and Master smiled and thought that Tilly didn't notice. But Tilly notices everything, Sir. Tilly notices when Master Graves whispers Master Newt's name at night when he-"

"That's quite enough, Tilly!" She was interrupted by Mr. Graves, who was stood at the top of the staircase with a strange look on his face. Newt wasn't quite sure what to make of the house elf's words, and noticed that his ears were burning. As he descended the stairs in an almost regal fashion, Newt gazed at Mr. Graves' suit, which matched his own dress robes exactly in colour and material. Apparently Mr. Graves had noticed too. When he reached the last stair he smirked and pointed between them. "Oh. We..."

"I take it you spoke to Queenie Goldstein recently, Mr. Graves?" Newt asked, making a mental note to thank her later. Graves nodded, gesturing to Newt to stand up for his appraisal. Newt stood with his arms at his side, staring intently at the floor as the older man circled him. 

"Surely we're good for first names now Newt? And a little eye contact wouldn't go amiss either, we're supposed to appear as lovers, after all.." ~~Mr. Graves~~  Percival was teasing him? He looked up and smiled sheepishly back, finally allowing himself to breathe properly and admiring the scent of musky cologne. "Very fetching," he stopped in front of Newt, "and complimentary too. Tilly, send a small gift basket to Miss Goldstein, and be sure to praise her impeccable taste in the note." The little elf scurried away and Percival lowered his voice. "Trust Goldstein to read my mind and pick a colour that makes your eyes pop. And a nice fit around the back. I trust she also did the tailoring herself?" At Newt's nod he sighed and rolled his eyes. "Figures. Always meddling!" He let out a laugh, leaving a confused Newt to stare at him blankly. Did all these cryptic little remarks about his appearance mean something? Or was he just getting into character? "Right. I suppose we should get moving. We'll travel there by floo network." He opened a door to Newt's left, waving him into a plush living room.

They stepped into the fireplace a little awkwardly, Newt careful to keep a comfortable distance, until Percival stepped in closer. "No need to be shy. We'll be spending the whole night together if all goes to plan." He murmured into Newt's ear, wrapping an arm around his waist. He scolded himself for being shocked at the physical contact, knowing that they had to be convincing to keep their cover. "By the way, I told these guys that you like to call me Percy in private." Newt smiled despite his doubts. 'How charmingly domestic of him,' he thought, 'it suits him.' He did his best to go over the cover story President Piquery had given him for the final time in his head, as Percival grabbed a handful of ash and announced the address, sending them into a scorch of green flames as the left the building.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who else here loves a bit of Flirty!Graves, raise your hand.
> 
> As always, comments and kudos are greatly appreciated!  
> Hope you enjoyed this lil chapter!!!

**Author's Note:**

> Hopefully you didn't hate this? Please feel free to comment here or message me on tumblr (sassian-andor) and of course if you liked it kudos would be appreciated. Thank you so much for reading if you got this far xx


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